The £120 million redevelopment of Glasgow Queens Street station has taken another step towards completion with the glazing of its 734-square-metre concourse wall. 21 metres high, it contains 310 glass panels and will bring to life the striking design of the new exterior of Queen Street, from both inside and outside the station.
While completion of the glazing marks another milestone in the transformation of Scotland’s third busiest station, and one that had the doubtful honour of being voted Britain’s most unpopular railway station in 2018. A survey of rail passengers had found that the Glasgow station was a “mess” and an “absolute bomb site”.
Now the installation of the floor-to-ceiling glazing shows that the station is well on the way to its planned completion in Spring 2020. The redevelopment will revitalise the station, delivering:
- A contemporary building both internally and externally;
- An expanded concourse;
- Improved, fully accessible, entrances on Dundas Street and George Square;
- New station facilities including accessible toilets, lost property and ticket office as well as space for retail;
- Extended platforms to accommodate longer trains of up to eight carriages.
Glasgow Queen Street station opened in 1842. The Victorian glass roof, which is now a category A listed structure, was completed in 1878 and has been incorporated into the design of the modern, refurbished station.
Network Rail project manager Joe Mulvenna said: “The redevelopment of Queen Street will deliver a new landmark building for the city and with the completion of the front glazing passengers can really begin to see just how much their station has been transformed.
“Our engineers are working hard around-the-clock to complete this project for Scotland’s Railway.”
Inside Queen Street, engineers are continuing with work to lengthen Platforms 4 and 5 by 26 metres to allow new eight-carriage electric trains to use them.
The redevelopment is part of the Edinburgh Glasgow Improvement Programme (EGIP) – a Scottish Government-funded investment in the railway infrastructure across central Scotland delivered by Network Rail Scotland.
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